.jpg?itok=M4uqhR5J&ssl=1 "Interview with Ousman Garouba entering his second year with the Houston Rockets: ‘I want to show that I can contribute many things’")
Adapt to his requirements NBA it’s not easy. It’s a league that moves at breakneck speed, rarely stops, but never waits for anyone. Therefore, the key to being fit and having a long career is to be fit and work tirelessly. That internal motivation of the player to keep improving even if his opportunity has not arisen is the best driving force in a game that is so big and different from the rest of the basketball world.
Usman Garouba He had been preparing for this moment for a long time. His first season in the NBA was plagued by misfortunes that materialized in form damage, which kept him from being available until practically the last two weeks of the Regular Phase. And just when everything looked set for him to hit the table, another setback crossed his path at Summer League. Many would have collapsed and thrown in the towel, but he kept going, kept working, with only one goal in mind: to reach the goal. Eurobasket. And boy did he succeed. “People don’t know how much we’ve worked. During the days off we also trained. There was a lot of work behind it,” recognizes Spanish The SportingNews in an interview that took place during the first days of preparation.
At the age of 20 Garuba has lived experiences for two lifetimes. An outstanding figure in lower divisions in the club and in the National Team, one of the youngest debutants in the ACB, a key player in the Euroleague and experienced in all the most demanding competitions and tournaments in this sport. But his career is taking its first steps. Some first steps that led him to Houston Rockets, one of the most intriguing projects in the league, and featuring a team both young and inexperienced. Perfect cocktail to get a foothold in a rotation that needs guys to contribute defensively and elevate the level of the second unit.
This is exactly the goal of Usman, who wants to be a valuable member of the team he leads Stefanos Silas. “Getting into the rotation is something that has been on my mind all summer. I want to show my team and the franchise that I am a player who can offer many things.”account.
A few days before opening night arrives, Usman Garuba sits down to talk to them official website of the NBA in Spain to take stock of his summer, season and aspirations with the Rockets.
–New season but for yours truly it started several months ago. How did it feel these first few weeks of training camp carrying so much time competing in your backpack?
-Well, I think it was something I needed, to compete. And I am very happy and excited for this year.
-Eurobasket was supposed to be a release for you, but I guess it’s also a way to show that you can be someone important. Do you feel that you have justified yourself or that you have beaten the table?
– I think so, honestly, no. I have done what I know how to do. I’ve played as a team, I’ve played hard and the rest has come out and we’ve been able to win, really. For me personally I haven’t done anything special. I can give a lot more and I’m glad I won, it was amazing.
-Continuing a bit with Eurobasket. The time you spent with the National Team was essentially the second period from the 2020-2021 season in which you played continuously. At the end of 21-22 with Houston you had 7 games with minutes. Injuries kept you out of the field even in the Summer League, how difficult was last year for you?
– It was complicated. Above all, beyond the physical, mental. The fact that you can’t fight. For example, being injured and not being able to train on the pitch and things like that, mentally it cost me more than others because I had a lot of things on my mind. It’s something I’ve learned, I’ve learned how this league goes. Injuries have to be taken as a positive point because at the end of the day you have to take advantage of that time to improve in whatever you can physically, in anything. I have learned a lot from this. It was good for me to learn, in a bad way it was good for me [risas]but it’s part of the game.
– After winning almost everything with Madrid at a very young age, there are those who believe that you went to the NBA too early. What would you say to everyone who doubts what you can do here in Houston?
I don’t think I’ll be leaving anytime soon. If I could have left sooner I would have. This is a league change, it’s different, that’s where the best players in the world are. My dream since I was little was always to play in the NBA. I know I have a lot to improve, to learn and I’m working on it, I’m 20 years old, I’m young and I’m ready for whatever comes, the mistake they put me in and everything.
-Focus on this season. The Rockets have definitely banked on their youth and a hole in the rotation has opened up for you. How do pre-season practices stack up against the team’s other indoor facilities?
-It’s going well, we make a lot of variations, we try a lot of things, I train between 4 and 5, I do a little bit of everything. It is quite positive. We’ll see how the season goes. I’ll play what I have to play. If they have to put me at 4, will I play 4 at 100%? if i play 5, 100%. Whether it’s 1, 10, 20 minutes, whatever.
-The other day Kevin Porter Jr said he had seen you much faster physically. Is it a matter of adapting to the league or thanks to the physical work?
– I have done a lot of work in the summer, not only in the Summer League but in the National Team with the coaches. We have worked a lot on Eurobasket, a lot, people don’t know how much we have worked. During the days off, we also practiced. There was a lot of work behind. This is the beginning of trying to show the possible version of me, really.
-When they talk about you, your defense and what you contribute back is always appreciated, but it’s clear watching Eurobasket that you can give a lot to the attack thanks to your reads. Is this your big advantage to take advantage of this season? That is, grow aggressively and become a facilitator
-Yes, it is one of my goals, to grow aggressively, to help my teammates have easier situations to score a basket. Also, to improve myself, my aggressiveness in front of the rim… There are a lot of things to go on, it’s something that we work hard on, especially in this group that we are young, we work on individual technique, many kinds of situations. It is that we are very young, we are like 10 or 11, the truth. We are all working hard 3 hours before training and the truth is that it suits us.
-The G League has been a pillar in the construction of the Rockets’ diverse projects. Players like Capela, Covington or House left the Vipers. I guess you’re not thinking about the development league right now, but how much can it help you this season to spend a few games there to enjoy a bigger role?
-In the end I always think that everything happens for a reason, if I have to finish there, which is not in my mind at the moment, then I will go and improve. It’s a different league, it helps me learn. My goal is to be with the first team, to work for them.
-To close, a few weeks before the start of the Regular Phase, tell me your personal goal for the season.
-My goal on an individual level is to try to be myself. To be the way I’ve always been, to play the way I’ve always done since I was little. The key in this European Championship for which I have played a little bit better than other times was to be myself, play with intensity and everything else comes out. My key is to play with intensity. Also, on an individual level, getting into the rotation naturally is something I’ve been thinking about all summer. I want to show my team, my coaches, the franchise that I’m a player who can contribute a lot of things and help the club more than just improve, win games.
-And another goal you want to achieve as a collective with the Rockets?
-At a collective level we are a team that knows we are young, but the good thing is that we are very hungry. Comparing it to last year is that we are very hungry. There is a lot of competition in training and a high level. We have to think more than improving day by day, we have to think big and to get to the Play-In would be something special, but we are taking it step by step.
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the NBA or its organizations.
